Help! Top brace of tank broke

[pontius]

westwind is right, WHY did the brace break? what brand of tank is it? sounds kind of crappy.
I have a 135 gallon All-Glass tank that has no braces whatsoever and wasn't even made with braces and it's never been a problem. I had cichlids in it and decided I didn't want it anymore. matter of fact, I see you're a Climpsun Tater fan. are you in SC? if so, I'll sell you the 135 gallon and the wood cabinet stand for $150. probably cheaper than you'd get a new 55 gallon for. I'm in the Conway/Myrtle Beach area if interested.
don't know the cause of the break or the brand of the tank. that would help. from the sound of it though, I wouldn't trust it even with new trim around the top.

 

[bmkj02]

55g are made with thin glass and are always under strees which causes the brace over time to break. Thats what happened to my 55 and there was nothing on the brace as my lights went from edge to edge. My 125 AGA is made with no braces as well but it 5/8" glass so it wont bow. Usually tanks without the brace are smaller tanks, thick glass tanks, very long tanks or just reptile tanks.

 

[monalisa]

What about repairing the center brace with a similar width strip of clear acrylic? Overlap the edges of the acrylic with the edges of the broken brace and bolt with some acrylic or plastic type bolts/screws. Just a thought.
Lisa

 

[cufishfan]

Originally Posted by Pontius
http:///forum/post/2972257
westwind is right, WHY did the brace break? what brand of tank is it? sounds kind of crappy.
I'm not entirely sure why it broke. It was a used tank, and the previous owner moved around the country with it, so it could be something associated with that. Tank was only 2 months old (for me). Couldn't find any kind of identifying labels anywhere, so I'm gonna have to agree with the 'pretty crappy' assessment.
Originally Posted by Pontius
http:///forum/post/2972257
I didn't want it anymore. matter of fact, I see you're a Climpsun Tater fan. are you in SC?

I'm a Clemson grad, but living up in DC now. Very glad to see the 'p' in your spelling of Clemson... I can't tell you how crazy I get when football announcers talk about the "ClemZIN" Tigers.

 

[cufishfan]

Sorry I haven't written all weekend, but it's been outrageously eventful! So I'll try to sum it up, and include pictures

to keep you all interested.
Here's the broken brace, after it had started to bow- it doesn't even reach all the way across the tank now..

I went to my lfs and took a look at the 75g they were selling. Oceanic, drilled, wet-dry and return pump, plus all tubing included, quality stand and PC lights. It had been leak- and everything else tested this week, and I basically trust my lfs, so I bought it. And, I got 20% off any other merchandise.. so I got 2 Koralia #2s, about 15lbs of premium cured live rock and a spare heater (my backup died last week).
Managed to borrow my boyfriend's SUV and got it loaded in the trunk. Got it home, moved the 55g (with only about 30g in it) and put the 75 where the other tank had been.

Had to keep stopping to do other things, and ended up staying up til 3 am. By the time I went to bed, I had cleaned everything, transfered as much water from my old tank and added new SW I had been mixing, rinsed some dry sand, transfered some of my CC from old tank, and about 1/2 of my LR.

Woke up early to start working on the plumbing, and only let out a few choice words when I realized that the return pipe wasn't screwed in properly- and flooded a bit, and again when I transfered the rest of the CC and forgot about displacement, and the wet/dry flooded a bit

BUT, everything seems to have paid off

my fish are exploring all the extra space, the tank and stand look so much nicer than my old one and the plumbing seems to be working out!

 

[beckto]

Good story with a happy ending!!
My 55g had the same thing happen. Though I know why my center brace broke. For some reason I tried to lift the tank from the brace, and it cracked. Didnt think it was a big deal, untill I filled it. The brace finally broke apart, and it immediately bowed out about 3-4 inches. I did A LOT of research to see if I could fix it, and long story in short....I came to the conclusion it was not worth fixing. But my story ends with me downgrading to a 29gal. Not so happy ending!
New tank looks great By the way.

 

[bmkj02]

Mine broke the same place. I just tossed it. New tanks looks real good

 

[kjlondry]

If you still have the old tank, I've been thinking and I don't see why industrial strength glue wouldn't hold it? This stuff I'm referring to is very strong, I used it to stop leaks on my hot tub and there is A LOT of pressure when the pumps kick on and I didn't get any leaks. You can get some @ home depot that will even bond steel/concrete/etc.....?
SOMETHING LIKE THIS

Couldn't find an actual picture of the stuff I used. It is also not that expensive! Could be an easy fix....so might be worth a try to fix then you could have a back up tank...or even start another!

 

[cufishfan]

Thanks, I'll have to look into that. I ordered a new top trim for the tank, but I haven't gotten the call about it yet, and I have no idea how I'm gonna pry the old trim off... no clue at all! I definitely can't just pull it off, and I'm afraid that if I use tools, I'll crack the glass... so using industrial glue (as long as it's aquarium safe!!) might work out better.
Thanks for the tip!

 

[flower]

Once it bowed out I wouldn't trust it for anything holding water. The seams are stressed and it is ready to burst. You might be able to use it for housing lizards, snakes or hamsters.
New tank does look great! I am glad you were able ot upgrade.

 

[cufishfan]

Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/2978541
Once it bowed out I wouldn't trust it for anything holding water.
What if I went back over the seams with a sealant? (and could I use the same silicone that I would use to glue the new trim down?) I'm planning to sell it, but unlike the guy who sold it to me, I want to be honest about the condition the tank is in... And I know I can get a lot more for it if I can say it's fish-safe and if I replace the top trim myself.

 

[kjlondry]

I think its still trustworthy. Glass is stronger than you think. I have a 100 gallon long and when no water is in it the glass piece for the top get stuck in it, but when you add water they have a lot more room to move. So obviously this glass bows out at least a little bit and the seals are fine. This tank also never had a middle support...so maybe your tank wont even need a brace (but I wouldn't risk it) But I'm sure the glue would hold it, especially if you redid the seals.
And about the glue being safe for your tank....I would not put this glue anywhere near a tank with fish in, the smell alone will knock you out. However after its dry and it more than likely will not be inside the tank, but just on the brace....it should be no problem for your livestock.
Good luck getting off that old top...I would think it just got a little bit of contact cement or something to hold the top on. No idea how you could get that off without damaging the glass.
For your seals: There is aquarium grade chalk, this is the only think I would put on my inside of my tank when dealing with sealants.

 

[unleashed]

if you know the brand of the tank you can contact your LFS and ask them to order that ring for you and just replace it.. cost would be aprox 15 - 20 bucks depending on your suppier

 

[natclanwy]

Originally Posted by CUfishfan
http:///forum/post/2978526
Thanks, I'll have to look into that. I ordered a new top trim for the tank, but I haven't gotten the call about it yet, and I have no idea how I'm gonna pry the old trim off... no clue at all! I definitely can't just pull it off, and I'm afraid that if I use tools, I'll crack the glass... so using industrial glue (as long as it's aquarium safe!!) might work out better.
Thanks for the tip!
You won't be able to glue the brace, or at least I have not found a glue that will bond polystyrene plastic. The only way I have found to fix polystyrene plastic is a plastic welder which won't work on a tank full of water anyway and you will be much better off just replacing the trim.
I have replaced a couple of trim rings, they come off pretty easy. Just use a razor blade between the glass and the trim ring on both sides of the glass (be sure and wear gloves so you don't cut yourself). Once you get all of the way around you should be able to start lifting the the trim ring off it will take some work but it should come off fairly easy. Put the new trim ring on with aquarium safe silicone and you will be good to go, and I'm sure that all of the other seals are still okay.

 

[cufishfan]

Originally Posted by natclanwy
http:///forum/post/2984165
Just use a razor blade between the glass and the trim ring on both sides of the glass (be sure and wear gloves so you don't cut yourself). Once you get all of the way around you should be able to start lifting the the trim ring off it will take some work but it should come off fairly easy. Put the new trim ring on with aquarium safe silicone and you will be good to go, and I'm sure that all of the other seals are still okay.

Thank you so much for the tip... I needed something exactly like this- with all the steps spelled out... I am a blonde

I found out that my order with the LFS is going to take *another* week (3 weeks... i'm glad I upgraded rather than waiting to fix this tank!!), so I can start working on pulling the old trim off at a leisurely pace.